Daily Links
Russell’s Roundup: Vancouver’s Trade Bonanza, Isles Claim Boqvist

Well, the NHL certainly had itself another Friday. Just one week after the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche made the Mikko Rantanen trade, the Vancouver Canucks made two major trades. First, they finally traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers after months of speculation. Hours later, they used part of their return and acquired Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins. How’s that for a Friday news dump?
As for the New York Islanders, they made waves early in the afternoon when they claimed Adam Boqvist off of waivers from the Florida Panthers. Boqvist, 24, will join the team in Tampa Bay tomorrow night and is expected to play against the Lightning. He’s the third defenseman to arrive on the team in eight days after the Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock injuries.
This weekend will be the first time I’ve had to watch an Islanders game from my home since the game in Utah over three weeks ago—the long homestand, coupled with a day trip to Philadelphia on Thursday. It’s a major game in Tampa for the Islanders, with a tough week ahead before the Four Nation’s Face-Off break begins.
New York Islanders:
First, we circle back to the move to claim Boqvist. The 24-year-old defenseman fits in quite nicely to coach Patrick Roy’s system. The hope is the Islanders can help him find the defensive side of his game while his offense continues to blossom. He’s been a power-play QB for both the Blue Jackets and Panthers, so he has the instincts. More here.
From Philadelphia: Vancouver’s two major trades come just after the anniversary of Bo Horvat’s trade to the Islanders. NYIHN spoke with Horvat about the deal, and then Kyle Palmieri jumped in on the fun.
ICYMI from Philly: The Islanders won their sixth straight game and shut out a totally lifeless Flyers team. Simon Holmstrom stayed hot with Palmieri and snapped a 15-game goal drought.Â
After the game, Ilya Sorokin discussed his shutout while Marc Gatcomb beamed about his well-deserved first NHL Goal.
NHL Trades, News, & National Hockey Now:
Forever Blueshirts: After a month of playing chicken, the Rangers and Canucks finally struck a deal that has J.T. Miller returning to New York after departing in 2018.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Just hours later, the Canucks had already flipped the first-round pick they acquired to the Penguins for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Kyle Dubas got value, and here’s Dan Kingerski’s full breakdown.
Philly Hockey Now: At the end of the Islanders’ game in Philadelphia, it became clear in the third period that the Flyers had made a trade. What wasn’t known yet was the details of the move with Calgary, one that sent their fans into a rage and has fleece written all over it.
Montreal Hockey Now: Marc-Andre Fleury said goodbye to his hometown city of Montreal, and the city said goodbye back in a touching moment.
Chicago Hockey Now: The quietest part of the Rantanen trade was Taylor Hall being sent to Carolina. According to Hall, he was relieved the deal went through as he needed a reset.